On the difference between Cormier and other wrestlers who
haven’t transitioned to MMA as well: “He likes to fight. He
likes to compete. I think that’s one of the big things, and he’s
used to competing at a high level.”

On Cormier’s win over Josh
Barnett: “I knew a big key to the fight was going to be who
could control the standup, and fortunately it worked out that D.C.
was able to control the standup.”

On how much Cormier could still improve: “He’s new in the
sport. There’s a lot of growth for him to do. He’s been doing this,
what, two and a half years? ... When he was wrestling, DeWayne
[Zinkin, Cormier’s manager] was really high on him: ‘We’ve got to
get this guy, we’ve got to get this guy.’ If we would have had him
for the last 10 years, it would have been amazing what he would
have accomplished already. Now we do, and he’s still going to get
better. I think we’re all seeing the improvement every fight.”

On Cormier’s personality: “He’s an instigator, but he’s a
lot of fun. He’s not only a good wrestler, but he’s a very
technical wrestler and he’s a great wrestling coach. That’s why
he’s kind of the team wrestling coach and Cain’s wrestling coach
also.”

On Josh
Thomson’s split decision loss to Gilbert
Melendez: “I haven’t watched it other than when it was
live. I felt when the fight was happening that there was a turning
point in the third where kind of the momentum changed over to us.
Whether it was early enough in the third to get the third round, I
don’t know, but I just felt like there was a shift in the fight in
the third round and that Josh started kind of taking control from
that point on.”

On how Thomson’s many injuries affected him in the fight and in
his career: “I think it took him a little bit of getting out
there and kind of getting a little confidence that the knee’s going
to be good and that everything’s good to go and [he can] start
pushing harder. ... He’s been injury prone since we got him when he
was 18 years old. Nothing’s changed in that department, but I truly
believe he’s better than he’s ever been right now. I think he’s
capable of beating just about anybody in a five-round fight.”

On reports that Velasquez was injured when he fought Junior dos
Santos: “He had several injuries, and it was just on top of
being off for a long layoff with the shoulder surgery. It was a
combination of the bad things coming together. The result is what
happened.”

On whether Velasquez is healthy for his bout Saturday at
UFC 146 against Antonio
Silva: “He’s healthy and he’s ready to rock 'n' roll.
Everybody will be in for a treat.”

On what Velasquez has to do to beat Silva: “I think the
biggest thing that Cain has to do to be successful in this fight is
be the athlete that he is. Cain is a tremendous athlete. He’s very
fast. He can move really well on the ground, standing, footwork,
everything. That’s what he’s got to do. When you’re fighting a guy
that’s so big, you need to be faster so that you can use your
techniques and beat him to the proverbial punch.”